Coupling-release rigging.



W. R. MATTHEWS. GOUPLING RELEASE.- RIGGING. ArrLIoATIoN FILED JUNE 1, 1907'.

907,838. Patented Dec. 29, 1908. Y a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@wmmm l Y y l mf/44%. l @5% W. R. MATTHEWS. UOUPLING RELEASE RIGGING. APPLIUATION FILED' JUNE '1,l 1907.

9075838. Patenteaneazg, 1908.

' c 3' zsHBBTs-fsnzm z.V

l 4, A n

7ea mmm M f @M THE Nomws PETERS co WASHINGTON. n. c

`the pawl which UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

WILLIAM R. MATTHEWS, OF PITTSBURG, PENN SYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MCCONWAY t TORLEY VAN IA.

COMPANY, OP PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or PENNSYL- coUPLING-RELEASE RIGGING,

Application filed June 7,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908. 1907. Serial No. 377,788.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. THEws, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupler-Release Rigging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction MAT- of actuating mechanism for the knuckle-lock of a car coupler of thevertical plane and is particularly designed to enable trainmen to lock-set the knuckle-lock of a car coupler without the necessity of going upon the platform of the car.

A further object of my invention is to produce a strong, simple, cheap and durable type;

ycoupler release rigging which shall not be subject to excessive strains when in service. In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in claims, igure l is a plan view of a passenger car platform showing the application of my coupler release riggng thereto; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the car platform and devices illustrated in Fig. 1,' Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, central, detail section of the release rigging devices, a part of the uncoupling bar being broken away and the several elements being shown in the positions they occupy when the coupler is locked; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig'. 3, but illustrating the positions the several elements ofthe rigging occupy when the knuckle-lock is set for uncoupling; Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the uncoupling bar in side elevation; Fig. @is a detail plan view of coperates with the uncoup# ling bar; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the pawl shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a detail view, in end elevation, showing the uncouplingbar bracket and the pawl mounted thereon, together with a section of the uncoupling bar. Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur. Y

I will now proceed to describe my invention more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

In the drawings, l is an uncoupling bar which extends `transversely of the car, its in-- l ner end being connected to the knuckle-lock l A of the coupler (not shown), and its outer end being supported in a bracket which is l preferably attached to the side of the steps of the car platform B. The outer end of the l uncoupling bar l is provided with a suitable handle la, which is preferably of the form l shown, while the inner end is forked or bifurcated, as at lb, for the reception of the catchlever of the knuckle-lock A. Each branch of the bifurcated end, 1b, of the uncoupling bar is provided with an elongated slot through which, and through the catch-lever of theknuckle-lock A, a vertical bolt passes. The pin and slot connection thus formed permits the free-return of knuckle-lock A to a locked position upon the closing of the knuckle in the coupler. p

Near its outer'end, the uncoupling bar 1 is provided with a rack 1C, which is preferably formed as a series of bars 1d that extend betweenside bars l e. The bars 1l forming the teeth of the rack have openings between themv to permit the eng gement of the face 3c ofthe pawl 3 with the face 1f of the bars ll in uncoupling bar 1, and while these bars 1d are generally wedge-like in cross-section, it is preferred that the faces lf, with which the uncoupling-bar pawlenga es,shall be slightly rounded, to more certain y insure an effective engagement of the rack and pawl. In order that the pawl may readily enter the space between adjacent bars 1d, it is preferred to bevel or splay the side bars 1e,as atl The bracket 2, which supports the Outer end of the uncoupling bar, is preferably formed with a depressed` seat, 2a, which may, if desired, be somewhat constricted at .or near its center, as shown. In this depressed seat the uncoupling bar rests when the knuckle-lock A is 1n a locked position, lthus .effectually preventing an accidental unlocking of the coupler such as might otherthe bracket 2, in manner that lit may engage the rack of the uncouplingfbar when the latter is lifted out of the depressed seat 2EL and swung laterally inward, is a pawl 3. This pawl is formed with an arm 3a, which is adapted to enter the space between two adjacent bars of the rack l", and also with an arm 3l. The face 3c of the pawl arm 3a is rounded concavely, to correspond with the mating faces of the bars 1d.

The pawl 3 is mounted upon the bracket 2 in such manner that, notwithstanding changes in the vertical inclination of the un coupling bar when the pawl and rack are in engagement, a uniform frictional bearing is maintained between the face lf of the tooth ld and the face 3C of the pawl 3. To this end, the upper and lower faces, 3d, of the pawl are rounded, and the pivot pin opening, 3e, thereof is made with a non-uniform crosssection, the central section being circular and the sections toward the ends being increasingly elongated. By this construction, the pawl 3 is permitted to oscillate upon an axis transverse to the pivot pin 4.

The construction being substantiallyT such as hereinbefore pointed out, the knuckle-lock A may be set in a position for uncoupling by first pulling upon the handle of the uncoupling bar l until the coupler is unlocked, and then lifting said uncoupling bar out of the depressed seat 2a and swinging it laterally inward until the pawl 3 comes into locking engagement with the rack 1". Upon the engagement of the rack teeth 1d with the pawl arm 3a, the pull of the coupler lock A, acting through the uncoupling bar 1, causes the pawl 3 to rotate upon its ivot bolt 4, thus bringing the outer end of t ie pawl arm 3b into contact with the side-bars le of the uncoupling bar 1 and tending to displace said uncoupling bar laterally. The force thus transmitted to the uncoupling bar by the awl arm 3b is principally resisted by the frictional engagement of the awl face 3c wlth a mating face 1r of the rac i. It will be observed that the greater the effective length of the pawl arm 3b as compared to that of the arm 3a, the greater will be the pull of the coupler lock required to rotate the pawl against a given frictional resistance developed between the faces 1f and 3C. The construction, therefore, should be such that a greater force than that exerted by the pull of the lock is required to cause the pawl arm 3b l from its lockto release the uncoupling bar set position, yet the force thus necessary to release the uncoupling bar should not be increased to an extent which would subject any part of the release rigging to excessive strain.

To permit the knuckle lock to return to a locked position, it is only necessary to force the uncoupling bar l laterally until the pawl 3 is disengaged from the rack.

It will be noted that the construction of 1 the coupler release rigging is such that, when the knuckle-lock is set for uncoupling, a conl siderable relative movement of the parts may occur without permitting the knucklelock to return to a locked position.

Having thus described my invention, what l. claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is'.

l. ln a coupler release rigging, the combination with a car platform and a lunicklelock of a car coupler, of a transversely extending reciprocatory uncoupling bar which is adapted to lock said knuckle-lock in uncoupling position, said bar havingone end connected to said knuckle-lock and the other end supported below the car platform in. a manner to permit lateral oscillation of said bar when the knuckle-lock is locked in nneoupling position.

2. ln a coupler release rigging, the combination with a reciprocatory uncoupling bar, of a rack and pawl for locking said uncoupling bar in uncoupling position, said pawl having a portion which tends to cause its d isengagement from said rack.

3. ln a coupler release rigging, theeoinbnation with a coupler, of a reciprocatory uncoupling bar provided with a rack, and a piv oted member for engaging said rack to lock said bar in uncoupling position, said uncon pling bar when in a coupling position per1nitting the coupler to be locked without reciprocating said bar.

4. ln a coupler release rigging, the combination with a reciprocatory uncoupling bar having a rack formed with teeth having curved pawl-engaging faces, of a pawl having a curved face which is adapted to engage the pawl-engaging faces of the rack-teeth to lock the uncoupling bar in uncoupling position.

5. ln a coupler release rigging, the combie nation with an uncoupling bar having a rack formed of bars which extend transversely between longitudinally extending side-bars, of means adapted to co )crate with said rack i to look the uncoupling Jar in uncoupling position.`

6. ln a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar provided with a rack, of a pawl adapted to engage said rack to hold the uncouplingbar in uncoupling position, said pawl having a pivot pin opening of varying cross-section. i 7 ln a coupler release rigging, theconibination-with an uncoupling bar provided with a rack, of a pivoted pawl adapted to engage said rack to hold the uncoupling bar in unl cou )ling position, said pawl being capable of osei lation upon an axis pivot pin.

8. ln a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar, of a bracket for supporting said bar, and means for leeking said bar in uncoupling position, said i bracket having a depressed seat which is transverse to its adapted to permit a lateral bodily oscillation of said bar sition. e@

9. In a coupler release rigging, the combination With a reciprocatory uncoupling bar having a rack formed thereon, of a bracket having a depressed seat ada ted to receive said bar, and a pawl pivotal y mounted on said bracket.

10. In a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar provided with a rack, of a pivoted pawl having two arms, one of said arms being adapted to enter the space between adjacent teeth of the rack, and the other of said arms being adapted to engage a portion of the uncoupling bar.

11. In a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar provided with a rack formed of separated bars, of a bracket having a depressed seat adapted to receivelsaid uncoupling bar, and a pawl pivotally mounted on said bracket, said pawl having a pivot pin opening of varying crosssection.

l2. An uncoupling bar for a coupler release rigging, said bar having means whereby it may be connected to the knuckle-lock of a car coupler, and having arack which is formed of separated bars that extend transversely between longitudinally extending side-bars.

when the latter is in coupling po- 13. In a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar which is adapted to actuate the knuckle-lock of a car coupler, of means frictionally engaging said sltion.

14. In a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling bar provided with a rack, of a pawl adapted to engage said rack to thereby maintain said uncoupling bar in uncoupling position, said uncoupling bar being retained 1n uncoupling position by thekfrictional engagement of the pawl and rac 15. In a coupler release rigging, the combination with an uncoupling member, of a pawl adapted to engage said uncoupling member and thereby maintain it in uncoupling position, said pawl having an arm which tends to force the uncoupling member from an uncoupling position, and having an arm which by engaging said uncoupling member prevents the return of the parts to coupled position.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature, in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIAM R. MATTHEWS.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. BoWERY, F. D. EOKER.

uncoupling bar to retain it in uncoupling po- 

